We’d decided that, weather
permitting, we’d take Biscuit to Fossil Rim Wildlife Center
on Friday morning. Y’all should check out this link: www.fossilrim.org. This place is AMAZING/AWESOME/MARVELOUS.
Our family has had the good fortune to visit
it many, many times in the past thirty years, as it’s less than an hour from
our casa. (And…it’s a BEAUTIFUL drive.)
TLC gave us permission to
let Biscuit get out of her carseat only
as we traveled through the park. (The speed limit is 15 mph and everyone is
always (well, 98.8% of the time!) respectful of and to the vehicles in front or
behind him. Actually, we only saw five other cars/trucks the entire time we
were there.)
Biscuit, like most
toddlers (and, for that matter, adults!), LOVES animals. She’s been to a zoo once—almost two years ago. She doesn’t
have much of a memory of it. Fossil Rim is a different (I know there are many, many drive-thru wildlife parks in Texas U. S.
When MSH paid our entry
fee (I will admit the entry fees might be considered a bit pricey—but completely and totally
worth every penny you spend. Plus, I found a coupon on-line that got LL in for
free with an adult ticket purchased.) You’re allowed to buy one sack of feed.
It’s $10. I believe it’s worth it—because a lot of the animals will come right
up to your vehicle and eat out of your hands or right there at your car/truck.
The lady that sold MSH the
entry tickets said she wasn’t sure we’d see the giraffes. Because it was a bit
nippy that morning. (It was only going to reach a high in the mid-50s that
day—it never got to 50 degrees the entire time we were there.)
When you first head out on
the tour, you see several HUGE
buffalos. I cannot emphasize HUGE enough. Then, as you head into the park, you
see a lot of deer, gazelles, and emus. I don’t know how many species of animals
are represented—they give you a brochure that has all of them and I sent it
home with Biscuit. Seems like it’s somewhere around 25.
Many years ago, when Fossil
Rim first opened and we took our kids every other to every three years,
the ostriches were VERY aggressive.
They wanted food. They’d come right up to your vehicle. If your windows weren’t
down? They’d peck at them. They’d stick their heads into your vehicle in a
scary, fast way! This trip, we only saw one ostrich. Not sure why—unless
they’ve had some issues with these birds’ behaviors and they’ve culled the
numbers down.
We were halfway through
the first part of the drive (you reach the Overlook, Café, Gift Shop and
Children’s Petting Area at the midpoint of the tour) when we saw our first
giraffe!
When that vehicle was ready
to move on, he confidently came over to our truck! He was sooo sweet and
friendly—not one ounce worried about sticking his big head into the truck to
get his food from my hands. Biscuit backed up as far as she could to the other
side and watched with utter and complete awe. (Eventually, we saw six giraffes.)
We got tickled at this
little deer. He/she was quite curious! Many of the animals have no fear. None.
Zilch. Zero.
At the midpoint, we went
into the gift shop and treated Biscuit to a little giraffe we named “Gertie”
and a t-shirt. I had packed a gluten-free lunch for her, which we ate in the
Café. (They had signs everywhere saying no outside food or drink—but I’d called
and told them she had to eat what I fixed her because she has Celiac. They were
tres nice about that. We did buy some of their food and it was good.)
It was really too windy
and cold to go over to the Children’s Petting Place
six cheetahs (my pictures
of them didn’t turn out great because they weren’t moving around in their
large, fenced area—all six were enjoying the warmth of the sun—some were behind
big rocks)—
some huge rams (oops...no
pictures of those)—and
two rhinos!
It was a memorable trip
all three of us thoroughly enjoyed...
If you live anywhere
around the Dallas/Ft. Worth Metroplex—or plan to make a trip to this area of Texas
Hoping Y’all have a
Wonderful Weekend—wherever in the World you are!
ta-ta for now…
ELC
